(3 cr.) PUBLIC HEALTH LAWS 320
Over the course of the semester we examine the
legal, ethical, and public health challenges posed
by contemporary issues such as drug-resistant
infectious disease, renewed resistance to
childhood vaccination, firearms regulation,
controversial testing and screening programs,
programs targeting tobacco use and obesity, and
potential threats of bioterrorism. Each of these
challenges raises the core issue of the extent to
which governments may restrain individual citizens
and individual choice for the promotion of
collective health and safety.
When and to what extent must the
constitutionally-protected rights of individuals
yield to the state'
s inherent obligation to exercise its police power
for the protection of the broader community? How
does the law function as an instrument of social
and public health policy? The historical legal
constructs on which public health law is grounded
are fundamental to understanding the constraints
within which public health authorities must
function. We examine the way in which established
public health law principles, legislation,
regulation, and ethics intersect as public health
programs and community health care interventions
are designed and delivered.
Every Year, All

Sessions

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